This means that organizations and end users get only update packages instead of individual updates. Considering that the system did not work too well on windows 10, it seems likely that users will be hit with issues eventually on Windows 7 or 8.1 devices as well.

Since it is no longer possible to block faulty updates, or uninstall them, all that users can do if they run into issues is to remove the whole update package. This means removing all security updates if updates were installed via Windows Update, or if a security update is causing issues.

Microsoft Download Center still offering Windows update downloads

The October 2016 patch day
was the first month in which only update packages were made available.

Without rehashing what has been said already, this meant the following things:

Windows users can either use Windows Update to install one massive update package, called monthly rollup, which includes security and non-security patches.
A security-only update is provided via Microsoft's Update Catalog and WSUS. This includes only the security patches released for the month.

Microsoft noted that the security-only update package would only be made available via WSUS or the company's Update Catalog
. The former is only available to organizations, the latter only if you use Internet Explorer as it requires ActiveX. There is a workaround for that
though.

While Microsoft was adamant about the availability of update packages -- it explicitly stated that security-only updates would only be made available via WSUS and Microsoft Update Catalog -- it turns out that downloads are still available on Microsoft's Download Center site as well.

If you check out one of the security bulletins, MS16-124
for instance on Microsoft's website, you will notice links to KB download pages
right on that page.

This means that users can download the security-only updates from Microsoft's Download Center site as well.

No word on why Microsoft changed its mind and is offering the downloads directly as well. The most likely explanation -- guesswork of course -- is the Internet Explorer exclusivity of the Microsoft Update Catalog.

It could be that Microsoft decided to make direct downloads available for as long as it has not published an updated version of the Update Catalog that runs on all modern browsers.

Now You: What's your opinion on the change?

Summary

Article Name

Microsoft Download Center still offering Windows update downloads

Description

You can still download monthly security-only patches via Microsoft's Download Center website, and not only via WSUS or the Update Catalog.